1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device having a function to display information such as numeric or character information and a function to display a scale, and more particularly to a display device suitable to display camera information.
2. Related Background Art
Cameras are being rapidly improved through increased use of electronics. For example, exposure control has been multiplexed to permit all or portions of four modes to be selected, a manual mode (M mode) in which a photographer decides both a stop value and a shutter time, an aperture priority mode (A mode) in which the photographer decides the stop value and the camera automatically decides a proper shutter speed, a shutter speed priority mode (S mode) in which the photographer decides the shutter time and the camera automatically decides a proper stop value, and a program mode (P mode) in which the camera automatically decides both a proper stop value.
In a camera having such a variety of photographing modes, the shutter time automatically selected by the camera in the A mode and P mode and the stop value automatically selected by the camera in the S mode are numerically displayed in a finder. On the hand, in the M mode, the photographer will often make a special photograph and he/she may intentionally photograph with overexposure or underexposure rather than a proper exposure. Accordingly, a degree of overexposure or underexposure, according to the exposure condition determined by the stop value and the shutter time selected by the photographer, is usually displayed as a scale in the finder. However, locations in the finder at which the display device can be arranged are limited, and if the numeric display and the scale display are spaced too far apart, the photographer cannot readily see them.
The applicant of the present invention has filed a patent application on a display device which can display the numeric information and the scale information in the same display area (U.S. Ser. No. 782,104 filed on Sept 30, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No 4,639,113).
In the display device of the above application, display elements for displaying the numeric information are arranged at the left half of the display area, and display elements for displaying the scale information are arranged at the right half of the display area.
In this display device, however, the limited narrow display area in the finder is divided into two sub-areas in which the respective display means are arranged. As a result, a scale which is sufficiently long to allow easy viewing is not provided.
Further, since the numeric information and the scale information are displayed in different display areas, the view directions of the photographer are different for the respective displays and the photographer cannot easily watch them.